In-flight Service

Omotenashi by JAL around the world

For the Ultimate Travel Experience

As JAL cabin attendants, ensuring that passengers have a safe and enjoyable experience from boarding to landing is of the highest importance. Above and beyond this, however, all of us assume a mindset that we play just one part in the entire JAL customer experience, and are tasked with finishing the job started by the ground staff, mechanics, pilots, and others. This mindset is instilled into us during our training and education.

Omotenashi, which can be translated as ‘hospitality’ but is better defined as ‘a selfless way of receiving guests’, is adopted in all areas of JAL service, including in-flight, and is at the heart of our service approach which is ‘to provide passengers with premium quality through consideration and well-honed skills’.

In Japan, the spirit of omotenashi is strong, while the country is also renowned for its charming and meticulous service. So as a Japanese airline, we want our passengers, particularly from overseas, to feel the Japanese spirit, tradition and innovation through our in-flight service.

Thinking as the Customer

When it comes to the fundamentals of in-flight service, we leave nothing
to chance. While there are service guidelines that we strictly adhere to, our brand of service comes from the heart. All of us are encouraged to use our initiative and imagination when dealing with passengers. We put ourselves in their shoes, anticipate their needs and act accordingly.

We realize that during a flight, passengers become completely dependent on the cabin crew. This is why we want to treat them as
though they were guests in our home. Though passengers have the option of using the Call Button, we prefer to constantly walk through the cabin, looking around to see if there is someone who may possibly desire something. We want to make it easy for passengers to call upon us as well as for us to anticipate their needs. This means being there for them before they use the call button. This is the standard by which we measure our service.

The JAL Difference

Though we work tirelessly to train and learn all that we can about providing unrivalled service, we are constantly in tune with the spirit of Japanese omotenashi, which dictates that each passenger be treated uniquely. The only way to achieve a level of service that satisfies each passenger as an individual is to be personal, sincere and to provide the highest level of attention, straight from the heart. This is our ideal of omotenashi, and what makes the JAL experience memorable.